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A dazzling blend of business vision, history,
social psychology, and economics, The Support Economy
starts with a compelling premise: People have changed more
than the corporations upon which their well-being depends.
In the frustration and rage that now separate individuals
from organizations lie the keys to a wholly new economic
order.
Shoshana Zuboff, a renowned scholar who
wrote the landmark book In the Age of the Smart Machine,
and James Maxmin, a world-class business leader, offer a
vivid and unvarnished diagnosis of today's standoff between
individuals and companies, which they call the transaction
crisis. They go on to articulate their bold and invigorating
insights into the future of our economy and society as they
assess the potential for a new era of economic growth they
call the support economy.
In recent years, many experts have offered
fixes for this crisis, but they have dealt only with its
symptoms. The Support Economy is the first book to
critically examine its cause: Managerial capitalism has
outlived the society it was once designed to serve. It successfully
achieved the efficient mass production of goods and services,
but the individuals who compose today's society want more.
They want to take their lives into their own hands and are
ready to pay for the support and advocacy necessary to fulfill
that yearning. The next leap forward in wealth creation
depends upon developing a new capitalism, a "distributed
capitalism," capable of fulfilling the needs of these
new individuals, while finally exploiting the revolutionary
capacities of the new digital medium.
The Support Economy is a resonant, intellectually
daring, and optimistic book that is filled with fresh ideas
and startling insights, from "the new society of individuals,"
"career taxidermy," and "the individuation
of consumption" to "organizational narcissism"
and "federated support networks." It will speak
to anyone interested in the current crisis of confidence
in the corporation, the needs of individuals as consumers
and employees, the role of women as a force for economic
change, and the opportunities for entrepreneurs, technologists,
policymakers, leaders, and citizens. Certain to stir debate,
here is a book for every reader interested in the future
of the economy and society.
Shoshana Zuboff is the Charles Edward
Wilson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard
Business School, where she is chair of the ODYSSEY programs.
Called "the prophet of the information age," she
is the author of the critically acclaimed In the Age
of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power. Dr.
Zuboff earned her Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard
University.
James Maxmin was chairman and CEO of
Volvo-UK, Thorn Home Electronics, and Laura Ashley PLC.
He founded the private investment company Global Brand Development
and is currently the advisory director at Mast Global, the
investment banking arm of the Monitor Company. Dr. Maxmin
has been a non-executive director of major companies on
both sides of the Atlantic. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy
from Kings College, London.
Zuboff and Maxmin are married and live
in Maine with their two children.
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